PAHIATUA NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9680, 3 January 1910, Page 6

PAHIATUA NEWS.

From Our Resident Reporter. Saturday. During the • month of December 1.10 inches of rain fell, making a total of just over 51 inches for the year ending 31st December. Mr J. D, Wilson, Deputy Official Assignee, informs me that there'were six bankruptcies in Pahiatua during the past year, none being recorded during the past three months. The ladies committee who have the Konini social *in hand have all arrangements complete for an 1 enjoyable eveninc, and a large attendance is expected this (Monday) evening. All proceeds above expenses are to be Riven to the hall fund. Mr R. J. Dillon, the newly-ap-pri-toi Engineer to the County Council, arrived here from Collingwood on Thursday evening last, and wili commence his duties here this week. It will be pleasing to the ratepayers to know that Mr Dillon is capable of drawing out plans and

supervising the erection of bridges, and a few months back, a steel bridge costing over£4ooo,was erected under h : s supervision over the Aorere River, and when finished the Collingwood County Council were so well pleased with the way the'work was carried out that they voted Mr Dillon an extra £SO, On the 18th of last month the workmen of the above Council entertained Mr Dillon and presented him with a dressing case, and the Councillors and ex-Council-lors also tendered him a smoke concert on the 20th inst, . Potato blight is finding its way into many crops in this district. Travellers along the Mangaone Valley, which takes in Rongomai, Tane and part of Kaitawa, cannot help being struck with the number of improvements that have been carried out. in this valley during the past few years, and the fine homesteads that are to be seen, showing that the hard-working farmers have been making good progress. The road is practically level all the way, being one of the best about, and forms a delightful place for a good drive. A creamery, owned by the Dairy Union, is situated at Rongomai, and milk is supplied to it by most of the neighbouring settlers, Mr W. G. Judd, of Tane, being the largest supplier with a total of over 13001bs of milk daily, while the highest test at the Creamery is 4.2. At the northern end of the valley the Kaitawa Co-operative Cheese Factory is working in full swing, the highest amount of milk received in any . one day this season being 1,000 gallons. The supply at the present time is slightly decreasing, but the majority of the dairymen report their cows to be keeping up well, owing to an abundance of green feed. The test-sheet shows an improvement, the highest test being 4, and the average running over 3.6. Thirty tons of cheese

has been sent away, and shipments are railed away fortnightly, a load of 72 cases going out the other day. This factory, which hitherto was a creamery, is Dow having its first season manufacturing cheese, and so far, excellent results have been obtaned, all the cheese railed away being graded first-class, some going up as high as 90. Leaving the factory and travelling south, one sees quite a large area of land under crop, and good crops of rape are to be seen at Messrs Thos. Hodgins and M. Caaelberg's, and root and grain crops are dottsd all along the road. At Mr T. Hodgins' woolshed a familiar figure to both the Wairarapa and the Bush, Mr J. C. Cooper, is to be seen busy with his shearing, and on enquiry the wool clips in the Valley have been very satisfactory, which, together with the good prices now being obtained for wool, should give the sheep farmers a satisfactory balance-sheet at the end of the season. The price, of lambs, however, is not at present so good as previous years, and several of the farmers contemplate putting older sheep on the rape and turnip crops, and reserving the lambs. From information obtained there seems to be a good future ahead for the go-a-head farmers in this fertile vale.